1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medium drive unit in which a removable storage medium is inserted and which drives the inserted storage medium, and to an electronic apparatus mounted with the medium drive unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) have been widely used not only in office but also at home. As one type of PC, the so-called “notebook type personal computer” (hereinafter referred to as “note PC”) is widely known. The notebook PC has a first enclosure that is a main unit having a keyboard on its top surface and a second enclosure that is a display unit having a display panel and coupled to the first enclosure by a hinge member in an openable and closable manner. The second enclosure is opened to be approximately upright on the first enclosure when it is used, and is closed to lie on the first enclosure when it is not used.
In addition, the notebook PC is provided with a medium drive unit that drives a storage medium such as CD or DVD. The medium drive unit is provided with a tray on which the storage medium is mounted and a cosmetic panel disposed on the front surface of the tray. Further, besides the cosmetic panel, there is provided a push button for sliding out the tray upon being pressed. Furthermore, the tray has a switch section that operates in response to the push button being pressed. Some techniques related to the switch section have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-242861 proposes a technique for forming an operation button by using an approximately U-shaped indentation in an assist plate formed by resin molding, thereby preventing a support member for supporting the operation button from being damaged without lowering the operability.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-176288 proposes a technique for providing a first relay member surrounded by a second relay member in an approximately U-shape and also providing a first switch pressing member surrounded by a second switch pressing member in an approximately U-shape, so that plural pressing button sections, plural relay members, and a fixing bar which are integrally formed. According to this technique, it is possible to reduce assembly cost.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-317882 proposes a technique for forming a release button by forming an opening portion in an arm section so that a resin flows from a thin portion into the arm section and a button section in a well balanced manner at the time of forming a front cover by injection molding.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-222926 proposes a technique for enabling an operation button to smoothly move by holding the operation button in a lower case through contacts at three points: a U-shaped section of a lower arm and two convex sections provided on both sides of the upper portion.
Here, when the operation button proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-242861 is employed, an internal structure can be seen through the indentation in an approximately U-shape, which is a problem in view of design.
Further, the technique proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-176288 require the first and second relay members, the first and second switch pressing members, the plural button sections, the plural relay members, the fixing bar and the like. Therefore, the cost is increased, which is a problem.
Furthermore, as for Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-317882, because the release button proposed therein has the arm in a reversed L-shape, which is vertically formed on the lower surface of the button section, this technique has such a problem that the size of the outer shape of the release button is large. Accordingly, if the release button is employed as a cosmetic panel, there arises a problem that the outer appearance is impaired.
Still furthermore, in the technique proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-222926 for holding the operation button in the lower case through contacts at three points: U-shaped section of the lower arm and two convex sections provided on both sides of the upper portion, the structure is complicated. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the demand for reducing the cost, which is a problem.